Wednesday
Jul292009
Wed, July 29, 2009 | Lisa Barger Is Dry Food Unhealthy?
“Is it true that cooked food sticks to your colon because it’s had all the water cooked out? I read this at [a content mill].”
No, it’s not, and if you’ll think about how you eat food, I think you’ll understand why the author of that piece is incorrect.
The author of the piece that inspired this question insinuates that modern food is “dry” because modern processing essentially cooks out all the water. She claims that because of this, “our colons cannot properly rid themselves of the waste from this food.”
But stop and think for a moment about how you eat. First, you chew your food. This mixes the food with saliva, which is mostly water. And you probably drink some sort of beverage with your meals—which further adds water. Then the food travels to your stomach and mixes with stomach acid … which is also mostly water. Then it moves into the small intestine where it mixes with other digestive chemicals. And, guess what—they’re mostly water, too.
While it’s true that nutritionists caution you to drink lots of water while taking fiber supplements, that’s because fiber is extremely absorbent and will rob your colon of water. But as for regular old fast food or the “standard American diet” she references? Well, I think you can understand why I disagree with “Maria R” on this one.
The truth is, your entire digestive tract is coated in a layer of mucus. Assuming that mucosal layer is healthy, there is simply no way something could “stick” to it. Even if it could, your colon sheds its lining every several hours. Anything stuck would just slough off with the dead cells. And assuming you’re not dealing with a condition like diverticulitis, there’s little chance normal foods can get “caught” in the nooks or crannies, either.
But to get back to the original question, no, dry foods aren’t dangerous and they won’t “build up” in your colon. But don’t take my word for it. The only person who can give you medical advice is your own doctor.
Source:
“Maria R.”. (2009). Are Colonics a Health Form of Detox? Accessed at brighthub.com July 29, 2009.
No, it’s not, and if you’ll think about how you eat food, I think you’ll understand why the author of that piece is incorrect.
The author of the piece that inspired this question insinuates that modern food is “dry” because modern processing essentially cooks out all the water. She claims that because of this, “our colons cannot properly rid themselves of the waste from this food.”
But stop and think for a moment about how you eat. First, you chew your food. This mixes the food with saliva, which is mostly water. And you probably drink some sort of beverage with your meals—which further adds water. Then the food travels to your stomach and mixes with stomach acid … which is also mostly water. Then it moves into the small intestine where it mixes with other digestive chemicals. And, guess what—they’re mostly water, too.
While it’s true that nutritionists caution you to drink lots of water while taking fiber supplements, that’s because fiber is extremely absorbent and will rob your colon of water. But as for regular old fast food or the “standard American diet” she references? Well, I think you can understand why I disagree with “Maria R” on this one.
The truth is, your entire digestive tract is coated in a layer of mucus. Assuming that mucosal layer is healthy, there is simply no way something could “stick” to it. Even if it could, your colon sheds its lining every several hours. Anything stuck would just slough off with the dead cells. And assuming you’re not dealing with a condition like diverticulitis, there’s little chance normal foods can get “caught” in the nooks or crannies, either.
But to get back to the original question, no, dry foods aren’t dangerous and they won’t “build up” in your colon. But don’t take my word for it. The only person who can give you medical advice is your own doctor.
Source:
“Maria R.”. (2009). Are Colonics a Health Form of Detox? Accessed at brighthub.com July 29, 2009.
This is a "retired" article; it may not reflect current scientific thinking or current research. No new comments are being accepted at this time.
Reader Comments (4)
Lisa,
You sound like you are very bitter about life
Bitter? Because I try to help people understand how digestion works?
It's got nothing to do with digestion. Stick his name in Google and add "trivita".
Do you know how many people back in the day used to die of intestinal blockages because of a British or American diet that lacked fiber? (this is not a recent problem, and it is due to cultural diets) Do you know how much colon cancer has increased in recent years? Do you know as much as you think you do?